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A review by obscuredbyclouds
Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth about Reality by Brad Warner
2.0
I really liked Warner's "Don't Be a Jerk" and since Hardcore Zen was his first book and seemed more like an introduction to Zen Buddhism than the one I'd read, I thought it might be a good present for my brother. Sadly, I did not really like this one. It's less an introduction to Zen and more an introduction to Warner's life up until that point. The language isn't just "edgy" (which I expected it to be) but incredibly try hard, off-putting and makes this book very very dated. As does the fatphobia and weird anti-enviornmental takes.
Warner keeps going on about how he is totally against authority and so 'different' from anyone else - who writes likes like this past the age of 15? - but then tells of the various belief systems he adhered to. That's a totally human thing to do but the way it's presented without a hint of self awareness is incredibly off-putting. And the tone of the book is the opposite of "zen". He's so agressive and spiteful and cynical. Sure, he says you don't need to believe him and should doubt him, but he doesn't doubt any of it.
In the second half of the book, when it concentrated on zen buddhism instead of Warner's life, it got a little better. I found his straight forward way of explaining complicated issues very refreshing but it didn't take away from the bad stuff. Definitely not a book I can give as a present to anyone, and I'm a little sad about the money I spent on it. It will go into a donation bin.
Warner keeps going on about how he is totally against authority and so 'different' from anyone else - who writes likes like this past the age of 15? - but then tells of the various belief systems he adhered to. That's a totally human thing to do but the way it's presented without a hint of self awareness is incredibly off-putting. And the tone of the book is the opposite of "zen". He's so agressive and spiteful and cynical. Sure, he says you don't need to believe him and should doubt him, but he doesn't doubt any of it.
In the second half of the book, when it concentrated on zen buddhism instead of Warner's life, it got a little better. I found his straight forward way of explaining complicated issues very refreshing but it didn't take away from the bad stuff. Definitely not a book I can give as a present to anyone, and I'm a little sad about the money I spent on it. It will go into a donation bin.